Accident and emergency department in a hospital (Stock image)
(Picture: PA Archive)Over 150 people with undiagnosed HIV have been found by the NHS in London in six months after the roll out of routine testing in emergency departments (EDs), new figures show.
Routine opt-out testing for blood borne viruses - including HIV and Hepatitis B and C - began in all EDs in the capital in April this year as part of efforts to reduce transmission in areas with the highest rates of undiagnosed HIV.
There were an estimated 1,600 people living with undiagnosed HIV in London in 2020, which is a third of all the people in the UK with undiagnosed HIV.
In an opt-out testing regimen, patients are informed that they are receiving an HIV test but can decline if they wish. It has been implemented in maternity services since 2000 and helps to offer effective early treatment to those with the virus.
The latest NHS data shows the programme has identified 759 cases of people living with HIV, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C between April and September. Of these, 159 people living with HIV in London who were not receiving treatment have been found by the NHS.
Sara from Parsons Green, south west London, found out her HIV positive status after being admitted to St George’s Hospital in Tooting with ulcerative colitis.
“I think that there are still misconceptions around people living with HIV in this country. There are so many women living with HIV, but we don’t always hear about them. The main thing I have realised is that HIV is not selective,” she said.
“Early diagnosis is really key to living well and now having been on HIV treatment, I live a full life and am able to enjoy all the things I love”.
Dr Chris Streather, Medical Director for the NHS in London said: ““Routine opt-out testing in EDs allows us to increasingly identify people, often who have no risk factors for HIV, at an early stage of infection. These are people who may have otherwise not been tested through other methods, such as at sexual health clinics, therefore preventing onward transmission and the risk of developing life-threatening AIDS.
“The stigma around HIV is rightly becoming a thing of the past and there are now treatments that mean people can live with no restrictions following a diagnosis.”
The figures were released to mark World AIDS Day, with a series of events set to take place across the globe to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness.
